The father of a 14-year-old girl attacked and killed in Edson, Alta., on Saturday is asking for support from his community and his church.

“Please pray for us, for our church family … and for family that is travelling,” Terry Stauffer, pastor of the Edson Baptist Church, wrote in an online blog yesterday. “We are realizing from the inside the value of good Gospel theology right now.”

His daughter, Emily, was attacked and killed Saturday afternoon as she was walking alone along a pathway in the north end of the town.

She was remembered by her congregation yesterday morning as an accomplished pianist who sang in the choir.

The 14-year-old was recently profiled on an online religious website, where she discussed her keen interest in music and the outdoors.

She described herself as “a follower of Christ, a goofball, and a bad-listener-who-tries.”

The teen leaves behind two younger sisters, an older brother and her parents, Terry and Juanita.

Last night at about 4:45 our precious 14 year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as she was out for a walk. We don’t know a lot of details, but we know that two young men came upon the scene right away, but it was too late for Emily.

I will write more as more details come available. Please pray for us, for our church family who are meeting without us right now, and for family that is travelling.

The parents of slain teen Emily Stauffer delivered an emotional eulogy in a packed Edson, Alta. school gymnasium Friday afternoon.
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“The dream is over; the endless day has begun,” Emily’s father, Terry Stauffer, said as he began his eulogy.

Her mother, Juanita Stauffer, said that talking about her daughter helped with the sorrow.

“I heard of a father who gave a eulogy for his child and he said ‘You know, it’s not hard, I could talk about my child forever,’ and when I heard that I thought that was so true,” she told the hundreds of mourners. “I could talk about Emily a long, long time.”

Stauffer talked about Emily’s love of photography, music and nature.

Emily’s father, a local Baptist minister, spoke of his daughter’s deep faith.

CTV’s Janet Dirks said Terry Stauffer talked of how his faith allowed him to be able to speak in such a tough time.

“(Terry Stauffer) said when he learned that it was his daughter that was dead, he was shocked and devastated and fell to his knees,” she said. “(He said) he asked himself if his faith really mattered . . . it has to matter now and that’s what’s keeping them going.”

Her mother said that “if it weren’t for God holding us up, we would be puddles on the floor.”

Pastor Allen Hern, Emily’s grandfather asked those in attendance to pray for her killer.

“God, I pray you might break his heart, and he’d walk into the police station and turn himself in,” said Hern.

“This family hurts with a pain that will never really be erased,”
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In a post to his blog Wednesday night, Terry Stauffer thanked everyone for their love and support.

“Some of you may see strength when you see us and hear from us, but please know that we are very human,” Stauffer wrote.

“We run through the full range of emotions, but God is our refuge and strength. If you see any strength in us, understand that the glory is God’s alone.”